A Data Center Is Dead, Long Live a Solar Farm

1. Racine County, Wisconsin – Microsoft is scrapping plans for a data center after fierce opposition from a host community in Wisconsin.

• The town of Caledonia was teed up to approve land rezoning for the facility, which would’ve been Microsoft’s third data center in the state. Dubbed “Project Nova,” the data center would have sat near an existing We Energies natural gas power plant.
• After considerable pushback at community meetings, the tech giant announced Friday that it would either give up on the project or relocate it elsewhere to avoid more fervent opposition.
• “While we have decided not to proceed with this particular site, we remain fully committed to investing in Southeast Wisconsin. We view this as a healthy step toward building a project that aligns with community priorities and supports shared goals,” Microsoft said in a statement published to its website, adding that it will attempt to “identify a site that supports both community priorities and our long-term development objectives.”
• A review of the project opponents’ PR materials shows their campaign centered on three key themes: the risk of higher electricity bills, environmental impacts of construction and traffic, and a lack of clarity around how data centers could be a public good. Activists also frequently compared Project Nova to a now-infamous failed project in Wisconsin from the Chinese tech manufacturer Foxconn.

2. Rockingham County, Virginia – Another day, another chokepoint in Dominion Energy’s effort to build more solar energy to power surging load growth in the state, this time in the quaint town of Timberville.

• Dominion and developer Summit Ridge Energy are seeking to build a relatively modest solar farm that will take up less than 30 acres abutting the town. They chose the location due to its proximity to an existing substation.
• The reaction has been intensely negative – and hasty. More than 500 people have signed an online petition against the solar farm proposal, which was published less than two weeks ago.
• Summit Ridge told residents at a recent community meeting that it’s seeking buy-in from the community before submitting an application for permission to build. In other words, it’s taking things slow. It’s a bold approach that may demonstrate the impact of patience in trying to get electrons on the grid, as opposed to simply rushing through the process of getting a social license to operate.

3. Clark County, Ohio – This county is one step closer to its first utility-scale solar project, despite the local government restricting development of new projects.

• Invenergy’s Sloopy Solar project is proceeding towards a review before the Ohio Public Siting Board after completing a public hearing period. The developer anticipates permitting will be completed in time to begin construction in 2027.
• If it’s approved by the OPSB, this would be a serious victory for the solar sector over opposition on the ground. Sloopy Solar would be built in Clark County, where the government instituted a moratorium on solar projects in unincorporated areas and expressed hostility toward new facilities coming into the county. Not to mention there’s an especially high risk of opposition there, according to Heatmap Pro’s analysis.
• Under a recent law, the Ohio Public Siting Board takes into account the views of localities when determining the public good of a project, which’ll then lead to whether it gets approved (or not). However the OPSB has decided that because Sloopy Solar began development before the law’s enactment, it’ll elide any protest from the county.

4. Coles County, Illinois – Speaking of good news, this county reaffirmed the special use permit for Earthrise Energy’s Glacier Moraine solar project, rebuffing loud criticisms from surrounding households.

• Coles County has its hurdles. Earlier this year, officials enshrined a fresh commercial solar power ordinance that set a 10% cap for "agricultural lands” available in the county for siting solar and required that each new project be approved on a case by case basis. Not to mention that it’s had at least one significant project rejection. All of this harmonizes with the county’s risk score.
• Yet perhaps by granting officials this authority, Coles County has become a bright spot in rural Illinois for renewable energy development. The powers that be approved a large wind farm there earlier this year. Likewise, Earthrise Energy will now have permission to build in this otherwise hostile environment.

5. Lee County, Mississippi – It’s full steam ahead for the Jugfork solar project in Mississippi, a Competitive Power Ventures proposal that is expected to feed electricity to the Tennessee Valley Authority.

• Per local press, county officials think they have little authority to stop large-scale solar development in Mississippi, as it sounds like projects sited on private lands may require state approval but not county. Activists are being directed to campaign for state regulators to somehow intervene against construction.
• I have no idea whether traditionally business-friendly permitting officials will go there with Jugfork. My best guess is that there’s at least appetite to do so, given that the state agriculture commissioner has called to set new regulations on solar project development.